Sunday 1/7/18 (Wildcard)

Jacksonville Jaguars, 10 Buffalo Bills, 3

It was not pretty, but the Jaguars win their first playoff game in over a decade and the Bills fly out of Florida back to Buffalo with a playoff participant trophy for the first time in 17 years. QB Blake Bortles was only spared the worst QB performance of the weekend by his opponent, QB Tyrod Taylor who continued to look like he was being controlled by a new player to Madden, locked in and ready to run.

RB LeSean McCoy gave it his best go for the Bills but was ineffective against a swarming, fast, tenacious Jaguars defense. The Bills were able to maintain some semblance of offense in terms of yardage but looked out-matched once in range of scoring. The Jaguars victory was sealed with the game's only Touchdown the culmination of the Jaguars' 9-minute 3rd quarter drive, Bortles to TE Ben Koyack.

There should be concerns for the Jaguars offense going forward of course (2/12 on 3rd down) but the victory was long-deserved and the result of a well-disciplined and talented defense. The final last gasps of Buffalo to put together a drive in the 4th quarter were snuffed out on a frightened, wobbly duck from QB Nathan Peterman intercepted by the sleek, fast #20 jersey of CB Jalen Ramsey.

MVP : DT Malick Jackson and NT Marcell Daerus were on the TV screen a lot for big interior D-lineman, DE Calais Campbell as well. Stuffing the run, snuffing the screens, harassing Taylor's pretending to read the defense. The D-line played too well against a far too inferior of an opponent for the Jaguars to lose this game.

New Orleans Saints, 31 Carolina Panthers, 26

In case of emergency, break glass for Drew Brees. The Saints rode the power and quickness of their stellar RB duo Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamera to an NFC South title this season, but the Carolina Panthers anchored by LBs Luke Kuechly and the timeless Thomas Davis held the two backs who combined for 3000 total yards over the season were held to a 68 total yard pittance.

The Saints turned to the air and their future HOF Quarterback provided 349 yards and 2 TDs. Brees hit an 80-yard revenge bomb to former Panther WR Ten Ginn Jr and then capped a 2nd drive with a 9-yard dart to TE Josh Hill.

The Panthers made it a great game. After yet another Saints TD (this one a FB Zach Line dive) put them down 21-6 with 49 seconds left in the 2nd half, QB Cam Newton hit 3 passes for 35 yards and K Graham Gano hit a 58-yard field goal to make it 21-9. The Panthers started the next drive well and settled for a field goal again. 21-12. It was not until the 4th quarter than Newton began punching the ball in, a TD to TE Greg Olsen and a 56-yard diagonal spring by rookie RB Christian McCaffery with 4:20 remaining.

Coach Sean Payton risked it all by going for it on a 4th-and-2 at the 2-minute warning to attempt to put the game away. Brees was intercepted by CB Mike Adams (which actually worked as a short punt, at least). Cam Newton had his chance to shine and appeared he would, completing passes of 21 and 19 yards driving to the Saints 21 yard line with 41 seconds left.

For most of the 2010s decade, this has been the story for Drew Brees. A heroic performance wasted by the Saints' defense. This time, the Saints D-line pressed Newton to force an intentional grounding, and then a -17 yard sack on 4th-and-23. Victory for the Saints, the Superdome went wild.

MVP : QB Drew Brees. With his lowest statistics in 15 years, didn't you just know Brees would turn in something like this in the postseason? 23/33, 376 yards and 2 TDs.